Rasengan VS Death Note
by lifesbutawalkingshadow
Summary: In the final moments of the Death Note series, Light attempts to renounce his Death Note. Through events, he ends up in the world of shinobi. First fanfic. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_/My first attempt at a fanfic. I noticed that whenever I tried to look up a Death Note fanfic, 90% of what I ended up with was either terrible or Yaoi. Actually, mostly Yaoi. It was driving me insane so I decided to try writing one myself. As far as I know, there aren't any stories out there with the same idea. It starts canon at the warehouse in the final episode/manga chapter and then goes AU. Very, very AU. Hope you enjoy!/_

_The sky was grey, bleak and lifeless. A dull grey warehouse known as the Yellow Box sat at the Los Angeles Daikoku Wharf. Hooks dripping with moisture hung from the roof, the remains of some long extinct shipping company. The air was cold and damp, as was the concrete floor. The space was dimly lit, light entering only through a few tiny slits in the roof. A single metal propeller set high in the wall slowly and painfully rotating, the screech of it's torturous progress echoing through the room. And as a maniacal scream filled the warehouse, one thing was certain. Yagami Light was pissed._

_No. Not pissed. To call Light pissed would be to say that L had a minor sweet tooth. Yagami Light was FURIOUS. His identity was now public knowledge, his carefully crafted plans were utterly ruined, and to top it all off he had been shot. By Matsuda. $#&^ing Matsuda! The wimpy little bootlicker who had once failed to arrest a seven year old! He'd once been pushed down a flight of stairs by a puppy! **A $#&^ing puppy!** GRAAAAH!_

_Now normally Light would not think like this. Light was a social genius, he kept an iron grip on his emotions and had acting skills that would give Robert De Niro an inferiority complex. But years of constant stress, worry and Misa had taken their toll. Being shot in the hand by the living embodiment of wussiness was the proverbial straw that broke the proverbial camel's back._

_Light had always had a thing for excitement, for taking calculated risks. Right back when he'd first become Kira, L had joined the case, and had immediately realised something about the way Kira killed. He'd noticed that he would kill from morning to late at night (Japan Time) on weekends and public holidays. However, he also noticed that on weekdays Kira didn't kill during school hours. Light had accessed his father's investigation files and had changed his writing patterns, killing a criminal an hour twenty-four hours a day. He had known that L would realise the possibility of a police leak. While he had convinced himself at the time it was to turn the police and L against each-other, the truth was that he wanted excitement in his life. He had known that it could compromise his identity, that it could have far-reaching damage, but he did it anyway. The game wouldn't be fair without a few hints, after all._

_Even today, he had taken a risk. In the second before the Death Note was meant to kill everyone except Kira, he had claimed his victory over Near out loud. Arrogance was his flaw, the belief that he was better than anyone else. And it had cost him. It had cost him dearly._

_Yet despite his predicament, despite everything, he was still a genius. His mind whirred, possibilities considered, analysed and discarded in the space of milliseconds. He refused to concede defeat. Light thought back to his victory over L, the second finest mind in the world. He . He would not fall to this pale-haired, stripling unworthy of licking L's boots clean! Or shoes. Actually, L didn't really wear shoes. Unfit to lick L's feet clean? It didn't matter. Light would triumph. Kira would not be stopped._

_All this went through Light's brain instants after Matsuda's bullet smashed through his uplifted hand, shattering his hand and wristbones. _

_"Matsuda you idiot! Who the hell do you think you're shooting at! Don't screw with me!" As Light's words echoed through the warehouse, his eyes briefly flickered across the other occupants of the warehouse. He realized that the flare of white-hot pain had allowed his instincts to overpower his genius. The silent onlookers were watching him with a mixture of revulsion, fascination and... Pity? He barely heard Matsuda's reply, so incensed he was at the mere thought. How dare they pity him? Pity a God! The idea was almost laughable. He dearly wished to kill each and every one of them, but he recognised that he had to tread carefully. He was walking on razor blades. Dimly hearing something about his father, Light's reply ws nothing but an attempt to gamble for more time._

_"My dad? You mean, Sochiro Yagami?" With these words, the Yagami prodigy came to a realisation. He realised that there was only one way he would even stand a chance of surviving this situation. It was risky yes, and it would cost him greatly, but he would keep his life, and maybe eventually regain his freedom. Besides, Matsuda was on a hair trigger. He had to act soon.  
_

_"Oh yes, Light's dear little father. I hope he has a fun time dealing with that when I'm gone." Light made sure to keep his voice perfectly matched to his earlier outburst. This would be the most important performance of his life._

_"Well, I guess Light has finally expended his usefulness." Already he could see the question in the eyes of the people of the room. Near was staring at him with unblinking eyes, probably trying to decipher what he was up to. Matsuda looked like he hadn't slept for days, hand shaking and eyes wide and running like a tap.  
_

_"Say ta to Sachiko from me!" He gleefully cried, evil grin threatening to split his face. There would be no faking it, Near was too good, too perceptive. There was only one way. He had to give up the Death Note. _

_Once his other innocent self returned, it would seem as if he had been possessed, that he had not been in control. He would be arrested, monitored, his every move watched and scrutinised. Yet they would find no flaws in his performance. Why? Because it wouldn't be a performance. It would be real. Light Yagami would honestly believe that he was not Kira, that he had never been Kira. The seeds of doubt would be planted in the minds of the Japanese police force. They would take any chance to believe the innocence of the son of their beloved Chief Yagami. Even if Near tried to keep it secret, they would speak out, desperate to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Light was either innocent or guilty. __He would miss being Kira more than could even be said, but self-preservation came first. __Eventually, he would be free. His final delivery would have to be flawless._

_"Kira shall always return! I will take you on an endless chase, from host to host! You will never be free of me!" Excellent semi-final words. Now, for the moment of truth. Light opened his unwounded hand, allowing the fragment of Death Note to drift listlessly downwards and come to rest in a pool of his own congealing blood. This was it. The phrasing would be crucial._

**_"Light Yagami renounces the Death Note!"_**

**_/_**_Whoa! Cliffhanger much?/_


	2. Chapter 2

_/Hey, 50 hits and 2 story alerts, not bad for only one chapter. You rock, qtar1984 and Lord Rebecca-Sama. Still no reviews thought, which makes me sad =[. Anyway, on with.. This!/_

_As Light stood in the dark warehouse, arms raised, blood dripping down from his bloodied hand a deep gravely chuckle rang out, heard by only half the people in the room._

_"Come now Light, you didn't think it was gonna be that easy, did'ja?" Light's eyes widened, then narrowed. His memories were still intact. He turned his gaze on the dark haired Shinigami he had grown to know and hate. He realised instantly that this was no delayed reaction. It was somehow Ryuk's fault._

_"You've spent too long with the Death Note. It's taint is too strong to be erased from your mind. Yer bound to it now." Ryuk cackled "Your own intellect prevents you from forgetting. Ya too smart for it to work!"_

_It was only when Ryuk finished his exposition and burst into a fit of evil-sounding hysterical laughter that Light felt the strange tugging sensation at his feet. As he looked down his blood ran cold. His legs were enshrouded in shadow. Worse, it was climbing. The shadow was slowly creeping up his legs. Eventually the darkness would consume his entire body._

_"Ye've renounced your claim to this realm instead" Ryuk giggled, an unhealthy, disgusting sound. As the darkness grew, coming ever closer to his head Light stood paralysed in fear, oblivious to the terrified stares of the people around him. He tried to move his legs, but the darkness held him, a deep chill sinking into his very bones._

_"Well, it was good while it lasted.. We've eased each others boredom quite a bit. Have fun in yer new home!" As Ryuk finished, the shadows reached Light's mouth, trapping the terror-filled scream that had been building up. Within moments, all that could be seen were Light's frantic, fearful eyes. As the petrified onlookers watched, Yagami Light disappeared from the world forever._

_The deathly silence settled over the warehouse, broken only by Mikami's insane whimpering. Finally, Aizawa spoke._

_"Is it over, Near?"_

_"Yeah. It's over."_

_…_

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_..._

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_As the darkness completed it's journey and disappeared, Light entered a void of what seemed like pure blackness. Unable to move, and realising how futile panic was, he ruthlessly clamped down on his fear, regaining his iron control over his emotions. Never one one to waste a chance to think, he immediately began pondering Ryuk's words and considering his next moves._

_As Light considered possibility of dying from thirst or hunger, or worse, being trapped for an eternity in the darkness, an internal shudder went through his body. It would be a fate worse than death, to remain in the blackness for an eternity, his sanity dissolving bit by bit. He thought back to Ryuk's final words._

_"Have fun in yer new home!" There had to be other places out there, other realms, for lack of a better word. Light would not usually be the type of person to believe in alternate dimensions, but if Death Gods and magical psychic notebooks (Death Notes needed the writer to visualise a face after all) were real, then believing in alternate dimensions was not really much of a existence of Ryuk proved it. Nothing like that could ever exist on Earth. He'd mentioned a Shinigami realm at some point, hadn't he? Probably. Light had never really paid much attention to Shinigami. Rem had threatened to kill him, and Ryuk was just plain annoying, with his constant whining about boredom and his apple obsession. If there were other realms out there, he'd eventually find some sort of entrance to one somewhere. He was sure of it._

_When he did, he had to have a plan in place for his arrival. Ryuk had told him the Death Note was bound to him, right? Therefor when he entered another dimension, it would probably follow him. When he arrived, he would need to find civilisation quickly. His shattered hand, while by no means a life-threatening injury, was still not exactly something to sneeze at. He would need medical attention, and fast. With his incredible social skills and formidable genius, it would be easy to gain the trust of the people he came across._

_After accomplishing his immediate goals, Light would begin afresh his career as Kira. Not a shadow of doubt existed in his mind. No matter where he ended up in, wherever intelligent life existed, there would be injustice. All throughout history, the strong would oppress the weak, and society would rot under the weight of the world's corruption. His knowledge of history proved this. That was where Kira came in. Kira would use the Note for good, he would use it to to destroy the infection that plagued society. Kira would create a Utopian society, with Yagami Light at the helm. He would rise again._

_The Yagami prodigy suddenly felt a tug on his being. He began to move towards it, speeding up as he went. This was it. He saw a speck of light in the distance, tiny but very noticeable in the absolute darkness he was currently suspended in. As he approached the dot became larger and larger, it's size increasing as he sped up. After what seemed like forever, he was able to make out the shape of the source of light. It was about the size and shape of a small doorway just large enough for him to fit through, edged all around with blackness. Light didn't want to think about what would happen if only part of him went through the doorway. He accelerated even further, approaching the doorway at an alarmingly fast rate. Light began worrying that if he exited the doorway at the speed he was currently going at, he would be killed in the resulting collision with the ground or a wall. Light began to make out a greyness on the other side._

_Finally he reached the doorway. A bright light enveloped him, the sheer whiteness of which forced him to close his eyes._

_He opened them to find himself over a waterfall._

_His mind whirred, frantically analysing his situation. He had come out of the portal to find himself in the air. He was next to a large waterfall which ended at least thirty meters below him. On either side of the waterfall stood two very imposing gigantic stone figures. At least he thought they looked imposing, seeing as all he could see were their legs. The sky was grey and overcast, similar to the one in the realm he had just left. As the roar of the waterfall filled his ears, he calculating his chances of survival, based on the distance the waterfall ended beneath him and the rate at which he was falling. Coming to the conclusion that there was an 87% chance that he would survive the drop without major injury or unconsciousness, he began moving his body as to receive minimum injury when he reached the bottom. He would survive this!_

_It was then that Light Yagami heard the sound of birds._

_As his eyes widened, Light's pupils quickly snapped to one side, then the other. What he saw made him very, very afraid._

_To his right was a sight which would have been comical the situation wasn't so dire. Soaring through the air was what looked like a grey transvestite with blue frizzy hair, red lipstick and things vaguely resembling hands extending from it's back. What truly drew Light's attention was the bright ethereal glow that was coming from it's hand. It seemed to radiate darkness. He immediately realised that the light was the source of the sound. It sounded like thousands of chirping birds. Even from a great distance he could feel the sheer power radiating off the figure. Unfortunately for Light, he wasn't going to be a great distance away from the creature for much longer. It was coming towards him. Fast._

_Speeding towards his left was a blond-haired orange-clad boy surrounded by an aura the same colour as his clothing vaguely resembling a fox, a single tail trailing behind it. In his hand he held a spinning purple sphere of energy. The aura the kitsune-boy gave off would have incapacitated a lesser creature. Light immediately took in the speed and trajectory of the two creatures. He began calculating whether one of them was going to hit him, and at what angle their attacks would strike. The results were made him very worried._

_They would both hit him. At the same time. In the stomach. _

_Light's mind began whirring once more, but he realised that time there was no escape. It didn't matter hows smart he was in this situation, his body just couldn't match his genius. He was going to die. He only had time to utter three words._

_"F%&# you, Ryuk."_

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_**Chidori! **_

_**Rasengan!**_

_Naruto and Sasuke's attacks tore through Yagami Light's chest like paper, killing him instantly. Their attacks slammed into each other with the force of a bullet train, creating a sphere of purple energy, which as it expanded turned black, and then purest white. And yet, although brief, Light's presence would set into motion events which would affect the world for generations to come. For, as the two chakras slammed into him, the attacks were slightly diverted, meaning that Naruto got hurt a little less, and Sasuke a little more. Consequently, his injuries prevented him from standing over Naruto contemplating life. This meant that he missed the small black notebook which came fluttering down from above towards the prone barely-conscious figure lying in the mud._

_As Naruto lay there, his barely-functioning mind absently pondering the cloudy sky above him, a black speck entered his vision. As it grew larger and larger, irritation at the abnormality drifted across his thoughts. The creature inside him however, temporarily able to see through the boy's eyes, recognised the thing for what it was. The Kyuubi no Yoko shivered with excitement._

_As the thing got closer, Naruto was able to feel the aura it was emitting; an aura of power. It didn't feel like the power of the Kyuubi or the Curse Seal though. It felt like it was much more subtle, almost intangible yet had more potential than the other two combined. If he could harness this power... he could get Sasuke back for sure._

_Strength he didn't know he possessed filled his veins, fueled by a single-minded determination which put all of his previous efforts to shame. As the object came nearer and nearer he torturously began lifting his hand, arm quaking with the effort. The thing was heading right for him. As he focused on it, it landed on his outstretched hand._

_He grasped it, securing the notebook in his vice-like grip. With Herculean effort, Naruto lowered his arm and placed it within his jump suit. Completely spent, he finally allowed himself to relax. As he allowed himself to drift into blissful unconsciousness, one final thought crossed his mind._

_'Death Note, eh?'_

_/Ha ha, bet you didn't see that one coming. Yes, I am evil. No, I did not suddenly become lazy and decide to just kill off Light because I didn't want to write the story. This was the plan from the very beginning. The idea just wouldn't leave my head. Anyway, this was sort of a trial run to see how I'd go. Please review, even to tell me if you hated it. Whether to write again or not? I don't know. If you hated it, tell me why! Anyway, thanks for reading. You guys rock!/_


	3. Chapter 3

_/Hey everyone, it's been a while since I did anything with this story. Thing is, it was actually meant to just be a one-shot, but ideas have been springing up so I might continue it further. Currently I'm concentrating on my other story: "Tobi Induced Hilarity", so updates will be sparse. Anyway, this chapter has a lot more humor than the other one. Enjoy!/_

**Three years later**

Koyagu Kotetsu was angry and confused. Known as the Red Demon of the Mist, he had slaughtered hundreds of enemy shinobi, achieved a 63 million ryo bounty in the Kiri bingo books and even held off three of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist simultaneously. He was not a people person. Which is why, when confronted by this blond-haired, blue-eyed Konoha whelping he had absolutely no idea how to act.

"So what's your name?"

"uh... Koyagu Kotetsu?"

"Koyagu Kotetsu? Can you spell that out for me?"

Koyagu was not used to questions. He was used to stabbing. The nuke-nin stood at around two and a half meters (8ft 2in) tall, with red plated shell-like armour and an enormous sword strapped across his back. This was not the sort of man that you made casual conversation with! Yet the Konoha nin had just walked forward and started asking questions like he was trying to chat him up at a bar!

"K-o-y... Wait, what? No! I'm here to kill you you moron!"

Koyagu reached back and wrapped his hand around the hilt of Akurei Kizu, pulling the sword from it's sheathe. This was not how battles where meant to go. The Konoha team should have entered the clearing, called out their names and started launching techniques at him, possibly recounting their life stories and stopping to flashback at regular intervals. Instead the three-man squad had hung back as the cheerful whiskered teenager had walked forward and started questioning him! The three members of his team, a pineapple-haired kid, a pink haired girl and a face-masked man looked worried, confident and bored respectively. Koyagu prepared Akurei Kizu to swing, the blade taking on an ethereal glow.

"Yeah, fair enough. I doubt I'd know you anyway. You don't look very powerful." Koyagu froze.

"What?"

"What did you say you were? The Red Demon of the Mist? I doubt you could take the Demon Brothers, let alone Zabuzu."

"... Are you some sort of idiot? Can you not see that I'm holding a gigantic red glowing sword meters from your neck? I this really the best time to start taunting me?

"Wow, a giant sword! How original! I've never seen one of those before!"

"This thing is bigger than you! And it wasn't originally red either, it's stained this way."

"You painted your sword red to make it look badass? That is dedication man!"

"What? No, it's not paint!"

"Tomato sauce then? How did you manage that?"

"Blood! It's blood you fool! Blood from the hundreds of shinobi I've slaughtered!

"Well then, shame on you! Looking after your equipment is one of the Four Foundations of Shinobi Etiquette."

"The four foundations of... Do you know how much I'm worth in the Bingo Book?"

The ninja scratched his head

"Err... fifty ryo?"

"63 million ryo! I'm worth 63 million ryo!"

"With that attitude towards cleanliness? I don't think so."

Koyagu had had enough. Reaching up, he pulled off his helmet and flung it to the ground.

"My name is Koyagu Kotetsu, K-o-y-a-g-o K-o-t-e-t-s-u! Now, can you please just stop talking and go stand over there! Please!"

"Alright K-o-y-a-g-o K-o-t-e-t-s-u, no need to be rude. All you had to do was ask."

Koyagu twitched

"Just... go."

"Fine, fine."

The blond ninja disappeared with a puff of smoke, then emerged from the trees behind the Konoha group.

"A Kage Bunshin? So he's not entirely suicidal." Kotetsu mused to himself.

"Protect Naruto while he uses the note!"

Kotetsu was brought out of his contemplations by a cry from the pink-haired one. As the Konoha ninja moved into a defensive formation around who he guessed was Naruto, the aforementioned blond ninja... Sat down and started writing in a notebook? The hell? These people made psychopaths like Kisame and Zabuzu look normal.

Kotetsu was content to just wait for them to make their move. Tempting as it was, to attack now would only result in pain. He was better off just waiting for them to make their move.

A minute later he felt a strange pain in his chest. Then he was crushed by an anvil.

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"Whaddya know, it was possible."

Naruto snapped the notebook shut and turned to his compatriots.

"Personally I think it's kind of troublesome myself." Shikamaru drawled lazily. "I mean, doesn't it kind of blunt your ninja skills?" Naruto shook his head

"Not really, there are plenty of shinobi who aren't willing to spare me the time to tell me their name or take off their face-mask."

"Tsk, yeah, it's not like most shinobi suddenly stop in the middle of a battle and tell you their life story." The other three ninja turned and stared at Shikamaru, who stared back with increasing incredulity. "They don't, do they?"

"You'd be surprised" answered Kakashi wryly.

"But... nevermind. How many people know about the Death Note?"

"Just us four, baa-chan and ero-sennin. If we started telling everyone that we had a magical murderous notebook, people would start hiding their names and faces. Well, either that or lock us up in a padded room." Naruto said with a grin.

"If that's the case, why did you let Shikamaru know?" questioned Sakura.

"I told you, I didn't let him know." replied Naruto. "He figured it out."

"How?"

"Twenty-four hour surveillance." said Shikamaru, with a smug look on his face.

"Surveillance? You started stalking me!"

"Same thing."

A temporary awkward silence fell over the group, until it was broken by Kakashi.

"Naruto, how did you make the anvil drop on his head?"

"Oh well, if what you write in the note is impossible, the victim will just have a heart attack. Apparently death by anvil isn't as unlikely as it seems."

"Sounds troublesome. Are there any drawbacks?"

"Ohhhh yes. One of the rules of the Death Note is that the user will go to neither heaven nor hell when they die."

"You're willing to do that?"

"There is nothing I won't do to protect my precious people." answered Naruto, determination clear in his voice. "If this is what it takes, then so be it."

"Is it really that useful?"

"It would be much more useful if you let me make the Shinigami eye deal." said Sakura

"For the last time Sakura-chan, you are not giving up half your life-span. We are not summoning a Shinigami, no matter what the scroll said."

"Scroll?" Shikamaru's interest was piqued.

"Oh yeah, we found a scroll containing the rules of how to use the notebook. Course, me and Sakura-chan had already used the note by then, so it was a bit too late to be of use." Naruto's voice had taken on a bitter edge. "Both of us are doomed to nothingness when we die."

"Naruto..."

"It's alright, we're used to it by now." Naruto put an arm around Sakura's shoulder. "It makes every day infinitely more precious."

"Tsk, I still don't see how it's going to help you get Sasuke back."

"The whole thing would be simple if we could just learn Orochimaru's last name. We can't find it anywhere, and believe me, we've tried. Not even Jiraya-san or Hokage-san know." Sakura interjected.

"What about that Kabuto kid?"

"We're going to save that particular ace in the hole for later."

"The whole thing sounds far too troublesome for words. What are you going to do if an enemy of Konoha steals it? Can you imagine what a group like Akatsuki would do with it? If it were up to me, I'd burn it and be done with it."

"A shinobi uses every weapon at his disposal Shika. Remember that."

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In a distant land, the two Akatsuki members drew ever closer to their destination, red clouds shining in the harsh desert sun.

_/And cut. I must admit, I do like my other chapters better. Anyway, tell me what you think. ALL reviews are good. Also anonymous reviews are allowed so go nuts. A virtual cookie to anyone who knows where Koyagu Kotetsu springs from. Anyway, thanks for reading. Yay!/_


	4. Chapter 4

**22/11/2012 - 10 Reviews, 8 Favorites, 8 Followers**

_(Konoha)_

"Another village, Hokage-sama."

"Urgggggghhhhhhhh."

Tsunade blearily lifted her head out of the stack of reports on her desk, where she had let it fall two minutes earlier. As her eyes settled on her raven-haired apprentice, an almost pleading look settled on the Hokage's face.

"Shizune. Shizune, please... please tell me this one was in Iwa's territory, at least." She groaned, voice beseeching.

"Actually... This one was in the Land of Wind. Orochimaru again" Shizune said, fiddling nervously with the pile of reports she was carrying. Tsunade just stared blankly at her for a second.

"Wind Country? How the hell did he get down to _Wind Country_!?"

It had all seemed so simple to begin with. After all, the Death Note had proven itself invaluable in the fight when the Kazekage had been captured. A simple scrawl in Naruto's terrible handwriting, and the unconscious Gaara had been delivered to Kakashi's squadron by a badly-charred and fatally poisoned Kisame Hokigashi, who had then driven a kunai into his own throat. There was no word on the two members who had kidnapped the Kazekage in the first place, but there was always the chance that they had been mutilated beyond repair during Kisame's escape.

Konoha had also been able to subtly decrease its rogue shinobi levels, as well as make a profit on the side. It really did make the job much easier when S-class threats simply walked up to your team and died from heart attacks. Unfortunately, Tsunade wasn't willing to reveal knowledge of the Note's existence to anyone beyond what was _absolutely _necessary, so Naruto's team had effectively been turned into Konoha's corpse clean-up squad. Still, an awfully large number of high-level ninja had their full names and faces listed in the Bingo books, and she was willing to take full advantage of that fact.

Due to the Note's track record of being an extremely useful, low-effort contrivance (as well as Naruto's increasingly constant pestering), Tsunade had authorized its use in the attempt to try and retrieve Sasuke Uchiha. This had turned out to be one of the worst decisions she had ever made.

It had started with Sakura's discovery that Kabuto Yakushi had originally been an orphan found on the outskirts of a destroyed village. Fujisaki Village, as it turned out, had once been a satellite state of Konoha, and a Konoha census had been conducted a few months before the village's destruction. Thankfully, the census still survived, and Sakura had been able to narrow Kabuto's real name down to that of one of five children, who were around the correct age.

Tsunade had commanded Naruto to write down each of the names while imagining Kabuto's face, with the instructions that Kabuto should take out Orochimaru and send Sasuke back to Konoha.

Naruto, who obviously wasn't thinking straight, had taken her words literally, and has written "takes out Orochimaru and sends Sasuke back to Konoha. Stabs himself through the heart with a scapel, and dies from his wounds" as the cause of death.

The result of this Tsunade had learnt from an Otogakure shinobi named Tsubaki, who had been found fleeing for his life within Fire Country.

xXx

_(Flashback - Tsubaki's Story)_

"It happened about... four days ago." Tsubaki said, in a droning monotone. The 20-something shinobi was strapped securely to a chair in one of Konoha's most secure interrogation chambers, but didn't even seem to notice the fact. The man's eyes stared blankly ahead at nothing, not even registering the blinding interrogation light which shined painfully into his face, nor the presence of Tsunade, Jiraya, Naruto or Shikamaru at the opposite end of the room. The man paused, a small quiver in his hands betraying the surging emotions behind the apparently empty shell he had become.

"Go ahead, we're not going to hurt you." Jiraya said soothingly, raising his hands placatingly.

The man nodded almost imperceptibly, swallowing painfully.

"Me and Nobotoshi were stationed up at the Northern Hideout, where Lord Orochimaru was staying. We were woken from our sleep by Lord Orochimaru's right-hand guy, Kabuto. He seemed different somehow, emotionless. He told us that he had a special mission for us. That we had to take Lord Orochimaru's apprentice, the Uchiha, and deliver him to the first Konoha team we could find."

"Nobotoshi laughed in his face, told him that would be treason. Kabuto held a scalpel up to his neck, and told him that the orders were from Lord Orochimaru, and that he would be killed if he refused. Nobotoshi shut up pretty quickly after that, and we were taken down to a stone room where two other guys I don't know were waiting. We also found an unconscious Sasuke Uchiha down there, and a this weird barrel, like the one Lord Orochimaru's elites used to use occasionally. Kabuto told us to stick the Uchiha in the barrel, and to head out immediately."

"I thought the whole thing was weird, but we did what Kabuto said nevertheless. He escorted us past the guards, and then headed back in, saying something vague about things he had to get done. The four of us headed out, travelling towards Fire Country. I thought I say smoke on the horizon behind us later that day, but Nobotoshi said I was just imagining it. We travelled without incident for the first two days, then..." Tsubaki stopped abruptly mid-sentence.

"What happened then?" Naruto demanded.

For the first time, Tsubaki's eyes moved from the blank spot on the wall, shifting to focus on Naruto. The man's visage morphed into one of raw terror.

"Then? Sasuke woke up." Tsubaki began shaking. His formerly even voice became like that of a fevered madman, words pouring out of his mouth like a flood.

"One of the guys must have had some sort of genjutsu training, because I'm pretty sure he used it on the Uchiha while he was sleeping. The kid started muttering, crying, screaming even, we could hear it as we walked. And then when he finally woke up, when that barrel exploded, I saw that one of the two guys I didn't know had layered the inside of the barrel with pictures of Itachi Uchiha!" The Otokage shinobi's breathing quickened and he began hyperventilating.

"Sasuke snapped! He went absolutely berserk! He made Nobotoshi EAT HIS OWN LIVER! It was a miracle I escaped alive, the whole forest was on fire! The last thing I saw of the Uchiha was what he was doing to the guy who cast the genjutsu! Oh god oh god ohgodohgodohgodohgod..."

Tsubaki slumped back into his chair, falling unconscious out of sheer terror.

_(End Flashback)_

xXx

If only it had stopped with Sasuke. Apparently Kabuto had attempted to fulfill the next part of Naruto's command as well. The details were sketchy, but it seemed that Orochimaru had been forced out of his host body, and had instinctively possessed that of the nearest powerhouse he could find. A mental patient named Juugo.

According to the information later found in the burning ruins of Orochimaru's Northern Hideout, Juugo had been a conductor for natural energy. An incredibly unstable one. And apparently, Orochimaru didn't have the mental fortitude to handle said natural energy.

Thanks to the note, Sasuke and Orochimaru were by all accounts involved in an unconscious competition to see who could cause the most widespread devastation and property damage. A now-deranged Sasuke had entered into a rampage in the North-Eastern part of Fire Country, utterly obliterating every village he came across with gratuitous amounts of fire. Orochimaru, meanwhile, had morphed into some sort of insane orange-haired avatar of death fueled by unlimited nature chakra, and had single-handedly made Iwagakure evacuate the entire southern border of the Land of Earth. Tsunade had been forced to declare Sasuke a missing-nin, and there were actually talks of a Konoha-Iwa alliance being formed just to bring Orochimaru-Juugo down.

It was the biggest disaster that Konoha had experienced since the Oto-Suna invasion two years back, and it was all thanks to that goddamn Death Note. And now there were even rumors of a pair of Akatsuki members smashing up a Fire Country Temple as well. Naruto had a lot to answer for.

Tsunade shook herself out of her musings.

"Nevermind. Get me Kakashi's squad." The Hokage commanded Shizune, who nodded and ran out quickly.

Tsunade looked down once again at the report that lay in front of her. On it was a picture of a handsome, silver-haired man, dressed in a black cloak with red clouds.

Hidan, huh?

xXx

**Bet you thought this was never going to be updated again, huh? Neither did I! But I felt inspired for some reason. If there is anyone who read this when it originally came out reading this now, I am deeply, deeply impressed with you! Read and Review!**


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